What Traffic Fumes Do to Our Children

Every year, we discover more about the harm being done to our children by the fumes that cars and other vehicles produce. By driving them to school and by sitting in our cars with the engines idling, we are helping to poison our own children. Here is what we now know about the harm that traffic pollution can do to children:

It can damage the growth of their lungs. The damage can last for the rest of their lives.

It raises the risk of asthma and allergies.

It can damage the development of their brains.

It can change their behaviour and reduce their happiness. Air pollution has been linked to anxiety, depression and Attention Deficit Disorder.

It raises the risk of heart disease later in their lives.

It can cause cancer, both in children and when they become adults.

Unborn children can also be affected by the pollution their mothers breathe. Air pollution is linked to babies being born prematurely and small.

Pollution inside your car can be much worse than pollution outside, because the fumes are concentrated in the small space.

The pollution from Worcester’s congested streets is damaging our children. We need action now to reduce the number of polluting vehicles in the city centre.